Beginning Anew: November 15, 2020

Are your relationships feeling a strain during quarantine? I’ve increasingly heard folks expressing challenges arising from being together more during home isolation. Perhaps it’s time to go deep into the practice of Beginning Anew to gain clarity, insight and renewal. 

In the time of the Buddha, during full and new moons, communities of practice partook in a ceremony allowing loved ones to clear the air so hurts didn’t accumulate. This ancient ceremony has been passed down and expressed in 4 elegant steps to help us see ourselves, situations and those we love more clearly. The practice is called Beginning Anew.

On November 15 New Moon, the opportunity to Begin Anew with oneself, a situation or a loved one is being extended. We have 10 spots at The Studio, measured to ensure 6 feet of physical distancing (unless you are in the same family group). This is an RSVP event due to space constrictions. All you need bring is the loved one with whom you are experiencing conflict and a commitment to listen and speak with your whole heart. If Beginning Anew is best directed towards yourself or a situation which has been difficult to resolve, you can be paired with either the facilitator or another participant with a similar focus. 

You will be guided through four steps of conscious breathing, loving speech, and compassionate listening as ways of keeping communication open and resolving conflicts. When practiced regularly, Beginning Anew brings deeper understanding and harmony to any relationship or situation. 

Invite a loved one, bring a mask and come experience Beginning Anew which teaches—with every breath, you and the present moment are reborn and can begin again. 

Time: Sunday, November 15 from 9:30a-11:00a 

Sliding Scale Suggested Donation:  $15-30 per person - no one turned away for lack of funds

Location: The Studio Lake Tahoe, 3200 US Hwy 50, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Facilitator: Karla Johnston, True Compassionate Dwelling, Certified HeartMath Clinician, 
owner InnerConstellation.com

RSVP: Karla@InnerConstellation.com

Inner Constellation Continuation

Yesterday was a tender day of celebration as Thich Nhat Hanh celebrated his 94th birthday. Friends and practitioners of mindfulness gathered on ZOOM and shared stories of how Thay ("teacher" in Vietnamese) has touched our lives. As so many transformations were shared, I thought back to the first time I came in contact with the concrete practice of mindfulness....

The year was 2014 when I visited Deer Park Monastery, a practice center in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and spent a week on a private retreat in Clarity Hamlet, living with the nuns. I felt, for the first time in my life, a sense of home--as if a peaceful and happy life was possible. I remember returning from my stay and describing the nuns to my husband with the only language I knew at the time, "They were holy." I aspired within me to walk with such peace, smile with such peace, live with their degree of presence. I remember wrestling with the idea that to live like at the monastery was not "real life." My sweet husband challenged this idea, and I will never forget what he asked, "Why do you assume the monastery is not real life?" At the time, I had no idea how to live so calm, peaceful and happy in the midst of absolute, chaotic busyness. A three year journey began that led to ordination at Deer Park in 2017 and a continued aspiration to grow my heart's capacity for compassion, peace and understanding. 

In March 2020, COVID hit, the brakes were applied, and the way I live has changed drastically, as it has for everyone. But here's the thing--life slowed down: my interpreting business, teaching, commitments, everything. It's been a blessing to feel, very visirally, the tremendous refuge of a personal practice in the midst of a post COVID world. 

A few weeks ago, I was asked to return to The Studio Lake Tahoe to offer private Inner Constellation sessions. I accepted, knowing it was a step in deepening my commitment to peace and well-being while offering The Studio as a sanctuary for those benefiting from support during these times. Now, Thich Nhat Hanh permeates my offerings, contemplation infuses my approach to any suffering and offers a way to remember joy and happiness even in the midst of challenges. I've used the last 7 months of slow-time and became HeartMath certified, something I wanted to do for years. 

If you feel you would like to partner with me in discovering ways contemplation--going within the sacred, and yes, "holy" refuge of your own body and mind--to grow peace and happiness to your life, please consider contacting me. At a time when so many folks are struggling, it's important to me and Crissy (owner of The Studio) to offer sliding scale gift economy payment options so that care is affordable and The Studio can stay afloat during restrictions in operation. When I think of the Inner Constellation motto in which I set up shop 10 years ago, I smile, knowing I have indeed come home: 

What if everything you need is inherent in you right now—profuse, abundant
 and perfectly sufficient.